Irene
V. Harkins Vogel, 83, died October 19, 2015 at the Keokuk County
Health Center in Sigourney, Iowa. She was born October 9, 1932 to
Paul and Marjorie Messerschmitt Harkins at the Ottumwa Hospital.
Irene attended country schools, in kindergarten she rode her horse
to the rural Ben Butler School in Highland Center. The family moved
to the family farm at Rose Hill, there she attended the “Little Red
Schoolhouse” for the first grade. They moved to Keswick to a rural
farm in the fifth grade and she walked into town to school. During
her 8th grade year Irene’s family moved into Keswick.
Irene graduated from Keswick High School in 1950 as valedictorian.
Irene’s fondest memories are of the Keswick Kittens basketball team
making two trips to the State tournament in 1948 and 1949. Those
teams were winners of several district and sectional championships
games along the tournament trail. The Keswick Kittens brought home
the 3rd place trophy in 1949.
On November 15, 1950 she married Stanley Vogel in Harper, Iowa.
They lived on the family farm in Harper until moving to Keswick in
1952. Irene was a homemaker and farm wife, they resided in Keswick
for 17 years until moving to their current family farm in 1970 near
Sigourney. She enjoyed her yard and her flowers. She loved the Iowa
Hawkeyes and rarely missed a sporting event of her children’s and
grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother-in- law’s Elvin
Fisher, Don Oliver and Joseph Vogel, sister-in-law Marie Vogel.
Irene is survived by her husband Stanley, three children Leon
(Cynthia) Vogel of Bloomfield, Linda (Larry) Northup of Sigourney,
Rhonda (Brian) Roberts of Bloomfield. Seven grandchildren Todd and
Troy Vogel both of Bloomfield, Kylie Weber of Kalona, Kellie
Northup of Kalona, Keaton Northup of Albia, Preston Roberts of
Fairfield, and Austin Roberts of Bloomfield. Five
great-grandchildren Quincey Vogel, Grayci and Londyn Vogel, Brady
and Brooks Weber, her sister Ruth (Wilford) Seaba of Sigourney, two
sister-in-law’s Dorothy Fisher of Sigourney, Marie Oliver of
Keswick, and bother-in-law Gordon Vogel of Kentucky.